


Be Back Soon

by satiricScythe



Category: Homestuck
Genre: Fluff, Hurt/Comfort, angst (ish) with a happy ending, but it's okay I promise, it's gonna hurt a little bit, just be warned it'll hurt a little
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-08-16
Updated: 2016-08-16
Packaged: 2018-08-09 06:24:58
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,989
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7790140
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/satiricScythe/pseuds/satiricScythe
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>"I promise. I'll be back soon."</p>
<p>Kankri never expected that when Karkat finally returned they would have more in common than before.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Be Back Soon

"You'll be back, won't you?" Kankri asked, white eyes round and worried. Karkat turned to look at his dancestor. Karkat had hit a growth spurt recently ("Thank fuck for that!") and that rendered him taller than Kankri by at least six inches. While Kankri remained the same height he had been when he died and kept his thin frame, Karkat was now both taller and larger than Kankri, having put on some muscle with his self-imposed training regimens. He was still slim, but was now rather well-built.

  
Karkat almost chuckled at Kankri's question, but he knew why Kankri was concerned. There had been many times someone said they would be back and then never returned. Hell, Karkat himself had been one of those people on several occasions before he actually got to know his dancestor - his real dancestor, not just his talkative facade.

The question had become something he heard every time he left. The first time he had heard the question came after the first time they'd spent time together that didn't involve Kankri rambling or Karkat yelling. It had been a long, meaningful conversation. Afterwards, Kankri had implored, "Please don't go." Karkat, of course, had to leave so that he could take care of himself. "I'll be back to talk to you soon." Karkat had promised. The look on Kankri's face when Karkat actually came back had made his bloodpusher twinge.

So, of course, he gave the same answer he usually did. "Of course I will. I promise. I'll be back soon." He replied with a warm smile. Kankri relaxed, despite having already known what the answer would be. "I'll see you soon, then." Kankri said, his voice brief once again. It wasn't ofen he showed his vulnerability, so of course when he did it didn't last long.

Karkat rolled his eyes. "Yeah, I'll see you. Hey Kank... Actually, nevermind. I'll tell you next time." Before Kankri could protest about how triggering it was to leave someone in suspence like that, Karkat was vanishing, having woken up once again.

Kankri gave a soft sigh, sitting on his bed as the other male vanished. He wished that the other didn't have to leave him, but he knew that being alive meant Karkat had basic necessities he needed to take care of. Kankri prefered his descendant to remain alive, thank you very much, so he didn't mind the times Karkat had to leave.

Still, when Karkat was gone Kankri couldn't help but miss him.

***

It wasn't long, only a day or so, that Karkat returned, which was quicker than usual. He quickly headed to Kankri's memory hive, chewing his lip. Fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, this wasn't supposed to happen. He had never meant to get himself... Fuck, how would Kankri react? As soon as he saw Karkat's eyes...

He shook his head furiously. Okay, he wouldn't think about that. Just wait and see what happens. He knocked. "Hey, Kankri, I'm back." He heard the sound of someone scrambling to clean up (something that was not unusual for Kankri), and then the door creaked open. Karkat ducked his head a bit to hide his eyes, using his hair as a shield.  
"Karkat! You're back!" Kankri exclaimed, clearly pleased. He opened the door wider, beckoning the other in. Karkat stepped inside, looking around the hive even though he knew what the place looked like already. It was in a constant state of controlled chaos as per usual, a pile of papers arranged on the floor here, a few books stacked over there. He was pleased to see that one thing hadn't changed.

"Oh! Um, Karkat, you wanted to tell me something last time." He reminded the other. Fuck, Karkat had forgotten that. "Oh, uh. I forgot." He muttered. "There's... There's something else though, maybe more important." He rubbed his arm. "There was... There was a problem."

Kankri cocked his head, confused. "Karkat? Is something wrong?" He realized that Karkat's back had been turned to him the whole time. "Karkat?" Karkat bit his lip, then sighed and closed his eyes. "There was an accident. I wasn't paying attention. Jack caught up to us I was in the lab, and something blew up, and..." He swallowed, then turned to face Kankri and opened his eyes.

The red-sweatered troll gasped, hand flying up to cover his mouth as his white eyes widened, shock written across his features. "Oh god, oh god, oh no, please, please, no...." He whispered, wide, round eyes filling with translucent, cherry red tears. "Shit, Kankri, don't cry, please?" Kankri shook his head, squeezing his eyes shut. "How can I not? Oh, Karkat, your eyes, your beautiful eyes, they're white... Oh, Karkat, you're dead."

Beautiful? Karkat didn't think so. His eyes had been filling with that ugly mutant red. Of course, before he could say anything about it Kankri was pulling him into a hug. "I'm so sorry Karkat. I'm so sorry." He whimpered. Karkat blinked, then hesitantly wrapped his arms around the other.

"Look, Kankri, it's not that big of a deal. This game, it'll kill anyone it can get its claws on. I just wasn't careful enough. You don't need to apologize. It's not a big deal." Kankri pushed him off, surprising the larger male. "Karkat, how can you say that!? It _is_ a big deal. You worked so hard to keep yourself alive, you tried so hard to protect your friends, you - "

Karkat covered the other's mouth, frowning. "I'm well aware of that, Kankri, and I know that my whole thing was for nothing now, but it doesn't matter. It doesn't matter, okay? It happened and it couldn't be helped. It's not your fault, alright? It's not anyone's fault but Jack's, and it's not like he was even specifically trying to kill me, he just happened to break through the wall and blow up the machine I happened to be standing next to."

Kankri's gaze shot daggers at the younger male, the white orbs blazing, and Karkat could feel his dancestor frowning against his palm. Kankri started talking again, voice muffled by Karkat's hand. Eventually Kankri grabbed Karkat's wrist and moved his hand. "Karkat, I would appreciate it if you wouldn't touch me, especially my face, without permission - "

"Says the one who hugged me not ten seconds ago."

"That was different!"

"How so?"

"It - It just was!"

Karkat snorted and Kankri glared. "Look," Karkat said. "It doesn't matter. It happened and that's really all there is to it." Kankri hesitated, clearly unhappy with that. The younger Vantas huffed. "What's the big deal?" He asked. "I died. You're dead. Why's it so different now that it's me."

"Because you weren't supposed to die!" Karkat blinked, eyes widening as he heard Kankri's increase in volume. Kankri continued, shaking his head furiously. "You weren't supposed to die. You were supposed to beat the game and live a long and happy life doing whatever the hell you were going to do afterwards without having to be afraid of revealing your blood color or anything else. You were supposed to... You were supposed to fucking _live_."

Oh. _Oh._ Karkat stared, white eyes wide with shock. "Kankri...?"

"I care about you, alright?" Kankri snapped. "More than I should. I know I shouldn't be and I know it's strange because I'm technically your ancestor and you're technically mine but I love you. I'm more redder for you than our goddamn blood color. I just..." He choked. Kankri, who could talk for hours without a single trip or audible pause, choked. "I just wanted you to be happy. I didn't want you to die. I never wanted to see you with white eyes like my own. Not you."

Karkat stared at the other, opening and closing his mouth several times. Shit, he needed to process this. His dancestor was flushed for him, the feeling was mutual, he should say something to show that, right? But Kankri was so upset right now, that would be a terrible idea, wouldn't it? He needed to get out for a minute, he needed time to think about this whole shithive for a bit.

"You don't want to see me with white eyes? Fine. Then I won't make you look at them." Karkat turned towards the door and started walking. Shit, fuck, that just sounded horrible! He sounded like the biggest bulgemunch in the history of bulgemunching. The noise he heard from Kankri almost shattered his heart as he sank his teeth into his bottom lip, but he didn't stop.

He reached for the doorknob. He could swear he heard a trigger warning from Kankri, then the other was grabbing his hand and pulling, causing Karkat to turn, eyes wide, only to get a chest full of Kankri's face as the other threw his arms around Karkat, clinging to the larger troll tightly.

"Please," Kankri whispered. Karkat blinked down at him, confused. "Please don't go. Please, just... Please. Stay. Don't go." Karkat's eyes widened. After a moment, he wrapped his arms around Kankri, resting his chin on the smaller male's head. After a moment of silence, he said what he'd wanted to after their first real conversation, the words he wanted to say, after almost a sweep of anger, rambling, and misunderstandings, when Kankri had asked him not to go.

"Okay." He whispered. He heard Kankri's intake of breath and tightened his grip on the smaller Vantas. "Okay. I won't go."

They stood there like that for a while, the tension slipping from Kankri's shoulders as they held each other close. Karkat was pretty sure Kankri was crying due to the fact that his chest was starting to feel a bit wet, but he didn't mention it. It wasn't like the red tears would stain his black sweater.

"Karkat?" Kankri mumbled, his voice muffled by the other's chest. "Yeah?" The younger Vantas asked softly. "I was serious when I told you I love you." Karkat chewed his lip, then replied, "I never thought that you would joke or lie about something like that." Kankri lifted his head, causing Karkat to pull his own back to look at the other.

"How do you feel about me?" Kankri blurted. His eyes were round, worried as though asking the question would ruin everything they had. Time to alleviate those worries, Karkat supposed. "... I love you, too, Kankri." He murmured, lifting a hand to brush his fingertips over Kankri's cheek before gently running the pad of his thumb over the smaller Vantas's cheekbone.

Kankri's eyes widened, shock evident on his face as he stared up at the younger male, lips parting slightly. "You do...?" He looked surprised, as though he hadn't expected Karkat to feel the same.

He hadn't expected Karkat to feel the same, the younger Vantas realized. On Beforus, Kankri was property. A decoration. No one fell in love with worthless decorations. "Yes, Kankri, I do." He leaned down a bit, then hesitated. "Can I - ?" Before he could finish asking permission for a kiss, Kankri was tugging him down and standing on his toes, mashing their lips together and wrapping his arms around Karkat's neck as thought to keep him from running awway.

Karkat kissed back without hesitation, the arms wrapped around Kankri moving to pull Kankri closer. Despite Kankri plunging into the kiss headfirst, the action was slow and sweet, the two of them relaxing against each other as they kissed.

Yes, Karkat was dead, Kankri thought, and that was the last thing he had ever wanted, but now he didn't have to ask if Karkat would return, didn't have to hear that reassuring "I'll be bck soon." They had more in common now that just blood color, but that was okay. Karkat was with him, and that made him sure that now everything would be okay.  
He'd never have to ask for Karkat to stay again, because Karkat never wanted to leave, and now he never had to.

**Author's Note:**

> This could have been better. ...Eh. I tried.


End file.
